Stumble
by xXxrisenangelxXx
Summary: She had stumbled into his care multiple times, too many times than he cared for.


Stumble

_By xXxrisenangelxXx_

She had stumbled into his care far too many times that he cared for.

The first time was after she had returned after defeating the Ice Wraith that Galmar had sent her after. She had come back with horrendous ice burns all along her arms and he was certainly surprised that she was still walking.

The second time she was so sleep deprived that he thought she was going to die standing. He had forced her to stay in Windhelm for a week before he decided that she was healed enough to go on. That week had been interesting in itself.

The third time they had won Solitude, it was at the party. She had too much mead and was talking about voices in her head, the nightmares. She was stumbling through the city and he had to have guards fetch her so then she didn't cause any more destruction. Jarl Elisif had taken care of her that night.

The fourth time was an odd meeting; they had met each other on the road, crossing paths as he traveled to Solitude for another month. She looked once more like the walking dead and he made sure to see that she had fed herself and had gotten a whole night's sleep as well. She talked about the dragon's and how the Greybeards and the Blades were at her throat trying to make her bend to their will. She was definitely upset at the whole ordeal.

The fifth time was right after she fought Alduin. He could see a vicious battle at the Throat of the World from Windhelm and he didn't know what to make of it. She ran though after the battle, not stopping for any cry of help or continuing with her quest. She ran to him and the safety that he had always given her. She sobbed for hours after she was escorted to the room that he had set aside for her. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened and he wanted to know, but he assumed that she would tell him in her own time.

The sixth time… the last time, she had avoided him completely since the last time she ended up in his presence. She stumbled into the Palace of the Kings, her hair and armor was covered in soot. She wobbled as she stood, each step she took she hissed slightly, and he wasn't sure if she would even make it to the end of the hall. He ran to her, holding her up and vowing to take care of her. She had surrendered her motions to him as he took her to her room and in fact did take care of her. She didn't leave the Palace for months afterward, staying in the room and only make small appearances in private with him. He was concerned for her and he didn't know what she wanted or what she needed.

"Phenix," he said, opening her bedroom door. He saw that she was asleep on the bed, her red hair was a mess on the pillow and the scar that dragged from the top of her cheek to the bottom of her jaw was stark white against her sun kissed skin. He entered and shut the door quietly, making sure his steps stayed just as quiet.

He looked at her as she slept and he could have sworn that he saw tear stains on her face. Ulfric frowned as he stepped closer, taking a seat on the bed. He raised his hand to touch her face and as he touched the tear stains she shot awake.

"_FUS_!" she screamed and he fell off the bed.

"Never waking you up again," he mumbled and picked himself back up.

"Oh gods, Ulfric, I'm so sorry!" she cried out, climbing off of the bed and walking in front of him. "You scared me."

"And shouting is your way of retaliating?" he asked and gave her a smirk.

"It is when I've been so used to sleeping in the woods and you don't know if bandits will come in the middle of the night," she answered and frowned. "I'm sorry; I didn't know you were going to be coming in."

"Its fine Phenix," Ulfric said and put a hand on her shoulder. "I just came to check up on you."

"Well I'm fine," she said and stepped back.

He rolled his eyes.

"I am!" she snapped, seeing the look. "I've been running around all of Skyrim for the past two years fighting wars and killing dragons. Sorry if I don't want to do anything."

"Phenix, it has been months since Alduin was destroyed," he said and she frowned.

"You don't think I know that?" she snapped and glared up at him. "I have to hear it every time I go to sleep; all the dragon souls inside of me angry and upset, wanting to have their voice be heard. They want to be heard and I have to keep them inside my heart or they will tear me apart."

Ulfric stared at her. Tears made her eyes glassy and she blinked furiously, rubbing the heel of her hands into her eyes. "Damn it all to Oblivion," she cursed and turned away. "Milmurnir is the loudest."

"What?"

"He was the first dragon I killed, well the first soul I absorbed. He's the angriest. He was the first one to die by my hand."

"If you don't want to hear them, why don't you let them go?" he asked and she spun to face him, a look of disgust.

"If I did that, then there would be that many more that I have to kill again," she said and shook her head. "I don't want to fight them. It's like killing a brother again and again and I can't stop it."

Ulfric just stared. "Like killing a brother, eh?" he asked and she nodded. "How would you know?"

She blinked and then glared. "I've formed bonds with others that I would call them a brother or sister. I may not have any real siblings, but I know that the pain and anguish that I feel inside my soul is not what any Nord should feel," she said and put a fist over her heart. "It hurts."

He nodded and put both hands on her shoulders. "I think I know what you need," he said and she frowned.

"What? What makes you think that I need anything?"

"Because you don't have anything to live for anymore, if you wanted you could kill yourself off, but you won't. You're hoping that there is something else for you to do."

She frowned at his accusation.

"You need something to live for and now that the civil war is over, thank Talos, and the dragon issue is mostly taken care of, you don't have anything to do."

Her frowned deepened. "And what exactly do you expect me to do? Become the world's errand girl? Because that isn't fun, no matter how much gold I may get."

"No. You need to do something that you want to do. Something that you are good at," he said giving her a smile.

"And what if the only thing I'll ever be good at is killing people," she sneered and he frowned.

"That's impossible," he said, shaking his head.

"How? It's the only thing I've ever done!" she snapped and shook her head. "My life in Falkreath was nothing. I simply made people smile even though there was nothing to smile about. I was going to be nothing but a gods damned house wife! I would have stayed inside all day, had kids popping out of me like a damned rabbit and I would have nothing else!"

Ulfric closed his eyes and shook his head. She wasn't making this any easier. She didn't need to be a fighter for all of her life. How could he make this clear to her?

She shook her head. "I will not go back to that life. I will not become some soldier's wife or even a farmer's. I will not sit idly on the sidelines and never have any say again!"

He kissed her, silencing her.

She blinked and shook her head, stepping away from him. "What are you…"

He grabbed her and kissed her again, holding her to him as she struggled. "Stop," he said against her mouth and she finally did, just letting him kiss her.

"You need to be loved and taken care of," he said and pushed back a wild strand of her red hair. Her icy blue eyes glared at him and chuckled. "You need to obviously be kissed much more often."

"How in Talos' name did you come to that conclusion?" she asked and shook her head. She raised her chin and stepped away. "I've been used by too many men for my own liking."

"What makes you think that I'll use you?" Ulfric asked and frowned as she walked away from him to the window.

"I've heard plenty of rumors that you only want me by your side because I'm the Dragonborn," she said and tears stung her vision. She blinked hard as she sighed. "That the only reason why the Empire hasn't retaliated yet is because I'm still alive and I could easily shout them all to death."

She gulped and he walked towards her.

"I joined you because I was used by men for their own selfish desires, too many times. I got my revenge and I want nothing more. I want nothing to do with men and I want nothing to do with anything."

"So you're just going to quit," he replied and she shook her head. "That's what you're saying. That because you've heard rumors of my betrayal to you, you're going to be done with avenging anyone who cries out for help."

"I'm DONE being an errand girl!" Phenix screamed and shook. "_Juli aar._"

"What?"

"Man's slave," she answered and shook her head. "I don't want to be that. I want to be my own person, not an errand girl. I don't want to be stuck known as the one who runs across Skryim with a package in hand for someone else."

"Then be your own person. You have plenty of money, correct?"

"Maybe so, but money runs out eventually," she said and shook her head. "I can't live off nothing."

Ulfric raised his own chin and closed his eyes. He sighed and he heard her lean against the window. _Juli aar._ She said it with such anguish in her voice. And since when did she know how to speak like the dragons? He looked at her and saw that she had her forehead pressed against the iced glass, her breath fogged the surface and she started to draw out symbols.

Could he finally say the things that he wanted to say to her? He remembered caring for her when she came stumbling into his palace. He remembered kissing her and she begged for more. He could had sworn that she was waiting for him to say something, anything. He wanted so badly to make her his wife, his queen.

"Phenix," he started and she looked at him. He walked to be in front of her and grabbed her hands. "You have been living in my palace for months now and I couldn't be happier that you are. But you could make me that much happier if you would do something for not only me, but for the both of us."

She frowned. "What are you saying?"

He bent down on a knee and she frowned. "I'm asking you to be my wife. I've put it off long enough."

She choked on air and stared at him, coughing. "What?"

He stood and held her face. "Will you, Phenix, be my queen?" he asked and gave a smile. "I can make you happy and I will try my damndest to rid you of the voices that you hear."

"Queen? The queen of Skyrim?" she asked and he nodded. "But what will they all think?"

"Does it matter?" he asked and shook his head. "None of them would expect you to be Dovahkiin, yet you are. Let them talk, they can have nothing to say to you."

Phenix stared at him with hopeful eyes. She could only hope that this in fact was not a dream, but something that was so much more. She nodded. "Yes. Yes Ulfric Stormcloak I will be your wife."

He smiled and kissed her. "I promise to make you happy," he said and for once she didn't care that he was twenty years her senior. She didn't care that she would more than likely outlive him. All she cared about was the fact that her wish was coming true.

She wanted to be his and only his. For him to have a claim on her that no one else would ever have. She wanted to be loved and cared for. She wanted to be his wife and queen.

She had stumbled long enough.


End file.
